"You talked 67% of the time."
"Competitor mentioned twice."
"Sentiment: Neutral."
"Discovery score: 6.8/10."
Your rep nods, closes the dashboard, and then... does exactly the same thing on the next call.
This is the fundamental problem with descriptive analytics: they tell you what happened, not what to do about it. And without actionable direction, behavior doesn't change.
The Problem with Call Scores and Sentiment Analysis
Most conversation intelligence tools excel at measurement. They calculate talk ratios, identify keywords, score call quality, track sentiment shifts. All legitimate data points.
But none of them answer the question that actually matters: What should I do differently next time?
A rep who learns they talked too much doesn't automatically know when to stop talking and start listening. A "6.8 discovery score" doesn't tell them which questions they missed or how to ask them. "Neutral sentiment" doesn't reveal what would have created urgency.
Descriptive insights create awareness without providing direction. That's useful for managers analyzing patterns. It's nearly useless for reps trying to improve execution between calls.
Why "You Talked 67% of the Time" Doesn't Change Behavior
Generic feedback suffers from a specificity problem. It identifies a metric without connecting it to the actual conversation or offering concrete alternatives.
Consider what happens when a rep receives this feedback:
"You talked too much. Try asking more questions."
What does this mean in practice? Which moment in the conversation should have been a question instead of a statement? What specific question would have worked? How do you transition from presenting to questioning without losing momentum?
Without answers to these questions, the feedback remains theoretical. The rep might intend to talk less, but in the heat of the next call, they revert to their default execution patterns.
What Prescriptive Guidance Looks Like
Prescriptive direction is call-specific, action-oriented, and immediately applicable. Here's an example from a real Pitstop analysis of a sample call:
ORIGINAL (Low-Authority Close):
Rep: "Okay, I'll send over some information and we can reconnect soon."
Buyer: "Yeah, maybe we can regroup next week once I've had time to review internally."
PRESCRIPTIVE GUIDANCE:
Your close leaked momentum and control. Here's what high-authority execution sounds like in this context:
"Before we wrap, let's lock two things in. On Tuesday we'll confirm whether this solves the [primary pain] and whether [integration/security/budget] is a blocker. If that's aligned, I'll come back Thursday with a recommendation and pricing for a rollout starting next month. Does Tuesday at 10am work to keep this moving?"
Notice the difference: Not "close with more authority." Not "set clearer next steps." A specific, word-for-word alternative that the rep can use on their very next call.
Call-Specific vs. Generic Advice
Generic guidance works across many situations but applies perfectly to none. Prescriptive guidance is tailored to the exact conversation that just happened.
Generic: "Ask deeper discovery questions."
Prescriptive: "The buyer mentioned budget concerns twice, but you didn't earn permission to explore them. On your next call, when they raise a constraint, try: 'That's helpful context. Would it be useful to walk through how similar companies typically structure this investment?' This bridges from problem acknowledgment to commercial conversation."
The first sounds like training material. The second sounds like a coach sitting next to you, telling you exactly what to say next time that specific situation arises.
Actionable Next Steps vs. Performance Metrics
Descriptive tools show you where you are. Prescriptive tools show you where to go.
After a sales call, a rep doesn't need to know their question-to-statement ratio was suboptimal. They need to know which moment in the conversation should have been a question, what that question should have sounded like, and why it would have changed the buyer's response.
They don't need a sentiment score. They need to understand that when the buyer said "interesting," it was polite deflection, not genuine interest, and here's how to test for real engagement next time.
They don't need to know they "partially followed" the discovery framework. They need specific examples of the questions they missed and how to integrate them naturally into the next conversation.
Why This Matters for Execution Improvement
Behavior change requires three things:
- Awareness of what went wrong (descriptive tools provide this)
- Understanding of what should have happened instead (most tools stop here)
- Specific direction on how to execute differently next time (prescriptive guidance delivers this)
Without all three, improvement stays theoretical. Reps know they should do better; they just don't know exactly how.
Prescriptive guidance closes the gap between knowing and doing. It turns insights into action – not eventually, but immediately, on the very next call.
From Data Points to Behavior Change
Your sales conversations generate enormous amounts of data. Talk ratios, keyword mentions, sentiment scores, call quality metrics. All potentially useful if they lead to better execution.
But data without direction is just noise. The question isn't whether you're measuring performance. It's whether you're providing the specific, actionable guidance that allows reps to actually improve it.
Descriptive analytics show you the problem. Prescriptive guidance gives you the solution.
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